This quantitative study aims to determine if there is a relationship between schools that had one-to-one technology programs pre-pandemic, and achievement test score outcomes. The study focused on the twenty-three school districts that had one-to-one programs pre-pandemic in Mississippi, and compared their performance with test scores from…

The American College Test (ACT) serves as the most utilized college admissions test in the United States. With disparities existing in the scores of Black males on the ACT exam compared to their peers, it is imperative to explore how these students are perceiving and experiencing the ACT. This study explored how Black male students experience the…

This report, which is based on an invited presentation given at the 2015 meeting of the Association of Test Publishers, is a response to the continuing proliferation of scale linking studies that have occurred since the publication of "Uncommon Measures" in 1999.The report has four parts. First, I restate the conclusions made in…

To help provide context to MAP® Growth™ normative percentiles, this document includes multiple College and Career Readiness (CCR) benchmarks, including those from ACT®, SAT®, and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced). The comparative data in the tables presented in this report can be used as data points for instructional…

As college-bound high school seniors know, the ACT examination is possibly the single most important assessment students take during their academic careers. ACT scores can determine college entrance, scholarship dollars, and whether students will be placed in remedial courses. Parents pay large sums of money to prepare their children for this…

Background/Context: Impact evaluations of schooling reforms in developing countries typically focus on tests of student achievement that are designed and implemented by researchers. Are these tests any good? What practical and principled guidance should researchers in the field follow? We aim to answer these questions. Test scores have, of course,…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a significant relationship between school-wide academic outcomes and the instructional modalities utilized by public schools during the 2019-2022 school years. This study also determined if there was a significant difference in assessment scores earned by public school students…

Arkansas adopted the ACT ASPIRE as their summative assessment in 2015. ACT ASPIRE claimed their assessment results could accurately predict the composite scores on the ACT. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between students' scores on the ACT ASPIRE and the ACT for students in the Star City School District, as well as…

The goal of this study was to further evaluate the impact of IXL Math on math learning outcomes. Using a quasi-experimental design with matched treatment and control groups, this analysis utilized data from 312 public schools in Mississippi during the 2021-2022 school year. The middle school analysis included 272 schools (136 treatment, 136…

Postsecondary readiness enables students to pursue their dreams, contribute to society, and thrive in the global economy. Since many accountability systems include a postsecondary readiness indicator in formal evaluations of schools and districts, it benefits educators, families, researchers, policymakers, and other education partners to…

Speeded tests set time limits so that few examinees can reach all items, and power tests allow most test-takers sufficient time to attempt all items. Educational achievement tests are sometimes described as "timed power tests" because the amount of time provided is intended to allow nearly all students to complete the test, yet this…

Statewide testing with college admissions exams dates to 2001, when Colorado and Illinois introduced the practice. Such testing expanded in subsequent years, and beginning in 2017--2018, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allowed states to use a college admissions exam to meet accountability requirements for high schools. Some see this option…

There seems to always be a new twist on high school testing in the U.S.; testing that is, at least in part, mandated by federal education law. As someone who grew up taking the New York State Regents exams, the author has thinking about high school testing for a long time. In this report, the author offers some thoughts about the current state of…

The impetus for test-based accountability systems is to improve the educational opportunities afforded to all students so as to improve their learning; therefore, integral to the validity argument of these systems is the appraisal of test-based inferences and decisions in terms of their consequences. Both positive and negative consequences of…

This study is the first to explore how skill and effort drive student achievement using a framework developed by Duckworth, Eichstaedt, and Unger (2015). A statistically significant achievement difference, as measured by Comprehensive Business Exam score during the last semester in college, was identified when students were separated by standard…